So you know a lot about astronauts, satellites, and space probes? On this European Space Agency (ESA) website for kids, you may be surprised not to find mention of American spacecraft such as Endeavor, Galileo, Voyager, Pioneer, and Challenger. In their place, meet CryoSat, Envisat, Rosetta, Columbus, GIOVE-A, Ariane-5 and more!

There is no mention of John Glenn, Sally Ride, or Neil Armstrong; the heroes here include such greats as Vladimir Remek, Miroslav Hermaszewski, Anousheh Ansari, Ulf Merbold, Christer Fugelsang, and Thomas Reiter. Move over, NASA — make room for the ESA! You will definitely learn something new and different at this website!

When you get to the site you will see some features. Use the menu at the top of your screen to explore topics such as “Our Universe” and “Life in Space.” As you click each main topic, you will see a related photo; parts of the photo can be clicked to learn all about the planets (Pluto has not been demoted here), galaxies, space stations, life in space and more.

From the main page you will also see a menu on the left of your screen with three items: “Lab,” “Fun,” and “News.” These sections contain interesting facts, sliding-panel puzzles, games, activities, things to build, animated cartoons, news items, and more. Each time you change topics, these sections may change, so be sure to keep checking them.

In the “News” section, don’t miss the word “More” at the bottom right-hand corner — this leads to the site archives with tons of fascinating articles and activities.

There is too much here to explore in one visit, and this site is kept updated. Bookmark it so you can come back often!

The Futures Channel provides multi-media videos that educators in any
setting can use to engage students and enliven curriculum. These videos
offer a connection between what students study (math and science) and how
scientists, engineers, explorers and visionaries use it to shape the future
of the real world. The idea is to inspire kids to consider careers in the
science and technology fields.

While this is a commercial site, in that they sell a DVD of all of the
movies they produce for classroom use, they have many short, FREE sample
films on the website that you can review along with free downloadable
lessons and learning activities in pdf format.

When you get to the website, you will see the featured movie, “Cheetahs,”
and a menu of science topics, from which you can view a variety of movie
titles. Choose the “Complete Movie List” to browse all of the titles or
select a subject category such as:

The Nature of Science — Find out about anti-gravity, space stations, water
fences, and more.

Click on any video title and a new page opens where you can watch the movie
(typically 2-4 minutes in length) and download and print out the associated
learning activities.

Once you are through examining the contents on the Science & Technology
section of the site, use the menu on the left side of your screen under
“Teaching & Learning” to explore videos about “Hand-On Math.” There are
also other movies about animals, art & music, space and more.

This is a great way to introduce students to various science topics that may
springboard them to further learning on their own. :)

This website is available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch. Click the flags near the top of the screen to switch languages. (English is represented by the British flag.)

So you know a lot about astronauts, satellites, and space probes? On this European Space Agency (ESA) website for kids, you may be surprised to find very little mention of American spacecraft such as Endeavor, Galileo, Voyager, Pioneer, and Challenger.

In their place, meet CryoSat, Envisat, Rosetta, Columbus, GIOVE-A, Ariane-5 and more! And there is barely any mention of John Glenn, Sally Ride, or Neil Armstrong either; the heroes here include such greats as Vladimir Remek, Miroslav Hermaszewski, Anousheh Ansari, Ulf Merbold, Christer Fugelsang, and Thomas Reiter.

Move over, NASA — make room for the ESA! You will definitely learn something new and different at this website!

When you get to the site you will see some features. Use the menu at the top of your screen to explore topics such as “Our Universe” and “Life in Space.” As you click each main topic, you will see a related photo; parts of the photo can be clicked to learn all about the planets (Pluto has not been demoted here), galaxies, space stations, life in space and more.

From the main page you will also see a menu on the left of your screen with three items: “Lab,” “Fun,” and “News.” These sections contain interesting facts, sliding-panel puzzles, games, activities, things to build, animated cartoons, news items, and more. Each time you change topics, these sections may change, so be sure to keep checking them. :)

In the “News” section, don’t miss the word “More” at the bottom right-hand corner — this leads to the site archives with tons of fascinating articles and activities.

There is too much here to explore in one visit, and this site is kept updated. Bookmark it so you can come back often!